Ring-shaped coil-style hair tie with an inner longitudinally disposed elasticity-enhancing member

ABSTRACT

A new and improved ring-shaped coil-style hair tie is proposed, which can be used by a person with long hair for fastening a bundle of hair, such as a ponytail, on the back of the person&#39;s head. The proposed ring-shaped coil-style hair tie is characterized by the provision of an elasticity-enhancing member in the inner longitudinal axial hollow portion of a ring-shaped coiled cord so as to provide an enhanced level of elastic restoring force that allows the ring-shaped coil-style hair tie to be more tightly and securely fixed in position when being used to fasten a bundle of hair, and also prevents the person&#39;s hair from being caught in and tangled with the ring-shaped coiled cord, and further twisted with the elasticity-enhancing member.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation in part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/127,672 entitled “COIL HAIR TIE” filed Sep. 11, 2018 whichis incorporated by reference for all purposes, and is now pending.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a hair tie, and more particularly to aring-shaped coil-style hair tie which can be used for fastening a bundleof hair, such as a ponytail, on the head of a person with long hair.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A hair tie is an item commonly used by a person with long hair forfastening a bundle of hair, such as a ponytail, on the back of theperson's head. On the market, there are many various different kinds ofhair ties, such as ribbons, bobbles, scrunchies, bands, hair rings, hairbinders, hair holders, and various others.

FIG. 1 shows a conventional type of hair tie, which may be called on theconsumer market in many various names such as hair ring, spiral hairtie, coiled hair tie, coil hair elastic tie, or telephone cord hair tie.In this specification, this particular type of hair tie shown in FIG. 1will be referred to as a “ring-shaped coil-style hair tie”. It includesa ring-shaped coiled cord (1) which is formed by connecting an elongatedelastic coiled cord that looks like a conventional telephone cord in ahead-to-tail manner into an annular shape similar to a ring. For thissake, it is also called a hair ring. This ring-shaped coil-style hairtie is very popular on the market because it has a traceless featurethat allows it to leave nearly no traces such as dents or bumps on theuser's hair after it is removed from the user's hair. In manufacture, itis typically made of a thermoplastic plastic material such as TPU(thermoplastic polyurethanes) or TPR (thermoplastic rubber), which hasgood flexibility that allows the ring-shaped coiled cord (1) to bestretchable to a wide-open state and restorable to its original state.In use, a person with long hair first needs to forcefully pull andstretch the ring-shaped coil-style hair tie to a wide-open state thatallows a bundle of his/her hair to pass through its central annularhollow portion, and then twist it into a number of loops, typically 3 to4 loops, in order to be tightly and securely fixed in position on theuser's hair, thereby fastening the bundle of hair into a ponytail.

One drawback to the prior art shown in FIG. 1, however, is that althoughthe ring-shaped coiled cord (1) is elastically stretchable, its elasticrestoring force after being stretched is unsatisfactorily weak such thatin order to be tightly and securely fixed in position on the user's hairto fasten the ponytail, the user might need to twist it into 3 or 4loops. This overly twisting of the ring-shaped coiled cord (1) couldquickly cause elastic fatigue, or even breakage, to the coiled structuresuch that it would become no longer usable for fastening a ponytail,thus resulting in a short life of use.

One solution to the above-mentioned problem is disclosed in GermanPatent No. DE 102015115002 B3, which teaches the use of a two-componenthair ring consisting of a spiral TPU-ring and a corrugated rubber ringinside the TPU-ring. This type of hair ring includes a wavy or spiralhair ring made of a material that is less elastically fatigued insidethe conventional coil type hair ring, thereby extending the strength anddurability of the coil type hair ring. Although this kind of improvementhelps to improve the strength and durability of the conventional coiltype hair ring, the complicated inner ring manufacturing isdisadvantageous in cost and process, and the inner and outer spiralcoils may have entanglement problems. The effect of maintaining thedensity of the outer ring coil is also limited, as it is also necessaryto sacrifice the elastic restoring force of the inner ring material,like the outer ring, in order to maintain its configuration.

In view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, there exists aneed for a new and improved ring-shaped coil-style hair tie that canserve as a solution to these problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore a primary objective of the invention to provide a newand improved ring-shaped coil-style hair tie that can provide anenhanced level of elastic restoring force after being stretched suchthat it can be used to fasten a bundle of hair more tightly and securelythan the prior art.

It is another objective of the invention to provide a new and improvedring-shaped coil-style hair tie that can prevent it from being tangledand twisted with the user's hair and thus prevent breakage of the user'shair when it is removed from the user's hair.

It is still another objective of the invention to provide a new andimproved ring-shaped coil-style hair tie that is more durable andstrengthened to use than the prior art so as to provide a longer life ofuse.

The ring-shaped coil-style hair tie according to the present inventioncomprises: (a) a ring-shaped coiled cord having an inner longitudinalaxial hollow portion and a central annular hollow portion; and (b) anelasticity-enhancing member whose modulus of elasticity is greater thanthe ring-shaped coiled cord, which is disposed in the inner longitudinalaxial hollow portion of the ring-shaped coiled cord, and which has anannular diameter smaller than the annular diameter of the innerlongitudinal axial hollow portion of the ring-shaped coiled cord suchthat a buffering space is provided between the elasticity-enhancingmember and the ring-shaped coiled cord.

In application, when the ring-shaped coiled cord is being used to fastena bundle of hair on a person, the elasticity-enhancing member providesan enhanced level of elastic restoring force that allows the ring-shapedcoiled cord to be more tightly and securely fixed in position on thehair to fasten the bundle of hair than the prior art.

The ring-shaped coil-style hair tie of the invention not only has atraceless feature that would leave no dents or bumps on the user's hairafter being removed from the user's hair, but additionally has thefollowing advantages. First, it can provide an enhanced level of elasticrestoring force after being widely stretched such that it can be used tofasten a bundle of hair more tightly and securely than the prior art.Second, it can prevent tangling and intertwining with the user's hair,thus preventing breakage of the user's hair when it is being removedfrom the user's hair. Third, it allows the overall ring-shapedcoil-style hair tie to be more durable and strengthened to provide alonger life of use. The invention is therefore more advantageous to usethan the prior art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above contents of the invention will become more readily apparent tothose ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the followingdetailed description and accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a conventional ring-shapedcoil-style hair tie;

FIG. 2A is schematic diagram illustrating a new and improved ring-shapedcoil-style hair tie according to a first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2B is schematic diagram illustrating a cross-section view of thering-shaped coil-style hair tie of FIG. 2A along the line A-A;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the use of the ring-shapedcoil-style hair tie of the invention;

FIG. 4A is schematic diagram illustrating a second embodiment of thering-shaped coil-style hair tie of the invention;

FIG. 4B is schematic diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of thecoil hair tie of FIG. 4A along the line B-B;

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of thering-shaped coil-style hair tie of the invention; and

FIG. 6 is a schematic partial perspective view of a fourth embodiment ofthe ring-shaped coil-style hair tie of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention discloses a new and improved ring-shapedcoil-style hair tie which is described in full details by way ofpreferred embodiments in the following with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

FIGS. 2A-2B show a first embodiment of the new and improved ring-shapedcoil-style hair tie according to the invention. As shown, thering-shaped coil-style hair tie of the invention includes a ring-shapedcoiled cord 10 which is similar to the prior art shown in FIG. 1 and isformed by connecting an elongated elastic coiled cord that looks like aconventional telephone cord in a head-to-tail manner into an annularshape similar to a ring with a central annular hollow portion 11. Thering-shaped coiled cord 10 has an inner longitudinal axial hollowportion 101 extending along the longitudinal axis of the ring-shapedcoiled cord 10.

Compared to the prior art shown in FIG. 1, the new and improvedring-shaped coil-style hair tie of the invention shown in FIGS. 2A-2B ischaracterized by the provision of an elasticity-enhancing member 20 inthe inner longitudinal axial hollow portion 101 along the longitudinalaxis of the ring-shaped coiled cord 10. In structure, theelasticity-enhancing member 20 is formed by bending a single elongatedelastic cord into the shape of a ring that is matched in annulardiameter to the ring-shaped coiled cord 10 so that it can be fitted anddisposed in the inner longitudinal axial hollow portion 101 of thering-shaped coiled cord 10. The elasticity-enhancing member 20 is madeof an elastic material which has a modulus of elasticity greater thanthat of the ring-shaped coiled cord 10 such that the ring-shapedcoil-style hair tie of the invention can provide an enhanced level ofelastically-restoring force then the prior art after being widelystretched. The modulus of the elasticity-enhancing member 20 can alsoprevent the ring-shaped coiled cord 10 from being overstretched anddeformed or losing flexibility or even broken when used to tie the hair.The elasticity-enhancing member 20 can be made of any suitable materialthat has good elasticity, flexibility, and durability, such as naturalrubber, synthetic rubber, plastic, latex or a mixture thereof.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 2B, it is to be noted that theelasticity-enhancing member 20 should be formed in such a manner thatits cross-sectional diameter is less than that of the inner longitudinalaxial hollow portion 101 of the ring-shaped coiled cord 10 such that abuffering space (W) can be provided that allows the elasticity-enhancingmember 20 to be separated by a distance and not abutted on thering-shaped coiled cord 10. The provision of the buffering space (W) hasseveral effects and advantages. When the ring-shaped coil-style hair tieof the invention is being used to tie the hair, the forceful pulling andstretching of the ring-shaped coiled cord 10 will cause theelasticity-enhancing member 20 to come toward and abut on the inner sideof the ring-shaped coiled cord 10, thus preventing the user's hair frombeing caught in the gaps between the turns of the ring-shaped coiledcord 10 that would otherwise cause the person's hair to be tangled withthe ring-shaped coiled cord 10 and further to be twisted with theelasticity-enhancing member 20.

FIG. 3 shows how the ring-shaped coil-style hair tie of the inventionshown in FIGS. 2A-2B can be used by a user with long hair for fasteninga bundle of hair, such as a ponytail, on the back of the user's head.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the first step A, when a girl user with long hairwants to use the ring-shaped coil-style hair tie of the invention shownin FIGS. 2A-2B to fasten a bundle of hair, such as a ponytail, on theback of her head, she needs first to user her hands to forcefully pulland stretch the ring-shaped coiled cord 10 annularly outwards so as toexpand the central annular hollow portion 11 to a wide-open state thatallows a bundle of her hair to pass therethrough.

Next in the step B, the user needs to twist the ring-shaped coiled cord10 to form a second loop such that two loops are formed to enclose thebundle of hair. Owing to the provision of the elasticity-enhancingmember 20, there is no need to twist the ring-shaped coiled cord 10 into3 or 4 loops in order to tightly and securely fasten the bundle of hairas in the case of the prior art.

Finally in the step C, the ring-shaped coil-style hair tie of theinvention is tightly and securely fixed in position on the user's hairto fasten a ponytail on the back of the user's head.

Compared to the prior art of FIG. 1, the ring-shaped coil-style hair tieof the invention shown in FIGS. 2A-2B is more advantageous in that owingto the enhanced elasticity provided by the elasticity-enhancing member20, the user needs just to twist the ring-shaped coiled cord 10 intojust two loops, rather than 3 or 4 loops in the case of the prior art,in order to tightly and securely fasten the ponytail without beingloosened and slipped out of position.

In addition, owing to the provision of the elasticity-enhancing member20 along the inner longitudinal axial hollow portion 101 of thering-shaped coiled cord 10, the user's hair can be prevented from beingtangled and intertwined with the ring-shaped coiled cord 10 that mightotherwise cause breakage to the user's hair when the ring-shapedcoil-style hair tie of the invention is being removed from the user'shair.

Furthermore, owing to the provision of the buffering space (W) in theinner longitudinal axial hollow portion 101, the ring-shaped coiled cord10 can be freely stretched to a wide-open state and restored to itsoriginal stage without being hampered by the elasticity-enhancing member20.

Beside the first embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 2A-2B, thepresent invention also has various other different embodiments asdisclosed and described below.

FIGS. 4A-4B show a second embodiment of the ring-shaped coil-style hairtie according to the invention, where FIG. 4B shows a cross-sectionalview of FIG. 4A along the line B-B. In this second embodiment, theelasticity-enhancing member 20 used in the first embodiment isequivalently substituted by a pair of parallel cords 201, 202, and abuffering space (W) can be provided that allows the pair of parallelcords 201, 202 to be separated by a distance and not abutted on thering-shaped coiled cord 10. The provision of the two cords 201, 202 inpair, rather than just one single cord in the first embodiment, hasseveral advantages. First, the elasticity provided by the pair of cords201, 202 can be doubled such that the elastic restoring force is alsodoubled and thus further enhanced. Second, when one of the two cords201, 202 is broken or subjected to elastic fatigue, the other one stillcan provide usable elasticity and elastic restoring force for thering-shaped coiled cord 10.

FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of the invention. In this thirdembodiment, the elasticity-enhancing member 20 is circumferentiallywrapped with a protective covering 200, such as a piece of elasticcloth, and a buffering space (W) can be provided that allows theelasticity-enhancing member 20 to be separated by a distance and notabutted on the ring-shaped coiled cord 10. The protective covering 200has a lower level of stretchability than the elasticity-enhancing member20 such that it can confine the stretchable range of theelasticity-enhancing member 20 to prevent breakage due to being overlywide-stretched and also protect the user's hair from being adhered tothe elasticity-enhancing member 20.

Further, FIG. 6 shows a fourth embodiment of the invention. In thisfourth embodiment, the elasticity-enhancing member 20 used in the firstembodiment is equivalently substituted by a twisted pair of cords 203,204, and a buffering space (W) can be provided that allows the twistedpair of cords 203, 204 to be separated by a distance and not abutted onthe ring-shaped coiled cord 10. The provision of the twisted pair ofcords 203, 204 has several advantages. First, the elasticity provided bythe twisted pair of cords 203, 204 can be doubled such that the elasticrestoring force can also be doubled and thus further enhanced. Second,when one of the twisted pair of cords 203, 204 is broken or subjected toelastic fatigue, the other one still can provide usable elasticity andelastic restoring force for the ring-shaped coiled cord 10.

In conclusion, the present invention provides a new and improvedring-shaped coil-style hair tie, which not only has a traceless featurethat would leave no dents or bumps on the user's hair after beingremoved from the user's hair, but additionally has the followingadvantages. First, it can provide an enhanced level of elastic restoringforce after being widely stretched such that it can be used to fasten abundle of hair more tightly and securely than the prior art. Second, itcan prevent tangling and intertwining with the user's hair, thuspreventing breakage of the user's hair when it is being removed from theuser's hair. Third, it allows the overall ring-shaped coil-style hairtie to be more durable and strengthened to provide a longer life of use.The invention is therefore more advantageous to use than the prior art.

While the invention has been described in terms of what is presentlyconsidered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is tobe understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosedembodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover variousmodifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit andscope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadestinterpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similarstructures.

What is claimed is:
 1. A ring-shaped coil-style hair tie, comprising:(a) a ring-shaped coiled cord having an inner longitudinal axial hollowportion and a central annular hollow portion; and (b) anelasticity-enhancing member whose modulus of elasticity is greater thanthe ring-shaped coiled cord, which is disposed in the inner longitudinalaxial hollow portion of the ring-shaped coiled cord, and which has anannular diameter smaller than the annular diameter of the innerlongitudinal axial hollow portion of the ring-shaped coiled cord suchthat a buffering space is provided between the elasticity-enhancingmember and the ring-shaped coiled cord; wherein when the ring-shapedcoiled cord is being used to fasten a bundle of hair on a person, theelasticity-enhancing member provides an enhanced level of elasticrestoring force that allows the ring-shaped coiled cord to be fastenedtightly and securely in position on the hair, and meanwhile prevents theperson's hair from being caught in and tangled with the ring-shapedcoiled cord.
 2. The coil hair tie according to claim 1, wherein theelasticity-enhancing member is formed by bending a single elongated cordinto the shape of a ring.
 3. The coil hair tie according to claim 1,wherein the elasticity-enhancing member is formed by bending a pair ofparallel cords into the shape of a ring.
 4. The coil hair tie accordingto claim 1, wherein the elasticity-enhancing member is formed by bendinga twisted pair of cords into the shape of a ring.
 5. The coil hair tieaccording to claim 1, wherein the elasticity-enhancing member is coveredwith a protective covering.
 6. The coil hair tie according to claim 5,wherein the protective covering is a piece of elastic cloth.
 7. The coilhair tie according to claim 1, wherein the elasticity-enhancing memberis made of a material selected from the group comprising natural rubber,synthetic rubber, plastic, and latex.
 8. The coil hair tie according toclaim 1, wherein the ring-shaped coiled cord is made of a materialselected from the group comprising thermoplastic polyurethane andthermoplastic rubber.